Health and Fitness

You must find the use of cumin in most of the dishes and it is one of the most common spices. But have you ever thought about the uses of cumin in medical field? It has many great medicinal values. The seeds contains between 2.5 and 4.5 percent essential oils, the principal component of which is cumaldehyde. The oil is used in perfumery, for flavoring a variety of liquors, and used for medicinal purposes.

As medicine it can be used in the following ways:

1. Diabetes: Take 1/2 spoon of crushed jeera with water twice daily.

2. Constipation, indigestion: Add equal quantities of jeera, black pepper dried ginger and dried curry leaves and powder them together. Add a little salt to taste. Add this mixture to hot ghee and eat with steamed rice.

3. Gas, Nausea: Mix equal quantities of jeera, black pepper and ginger. Make an infusion by boiling it in some water. Drink thrice a day for a few days.

4. Heaviness in stomach, indigestion: Mix 1/4 spoon each powdered jeera and black pepper in a glass of buttermilk. Drink two or three times a day for 2-3 days.

5. Fatigue: Mix 1/2 spoon each jeera, coriander seeds, black pepper and tuvar dal. Boil in water and drink with salt to taste.

6. Insomnia: Mix 1 spoon powder of roasted jeera with a mashed ripe banana. Eat after dinner regularly.